Editorial : Stress test: the need for water management reforms

On the cusp of the southwest monsoon, several arid States are
hoping to revive their rivers and reservoirs(जलाशयों/संग्रह) with bountiful(भरपूर/प्रचुर) rain. One of them is Gujarat, which is roiled by the
long-tail effect of a deficit monsoon between August and November last year.
The State government has embarked(शुरू/लगना) on a labour-intensive(तीव्र/प्रचंड) programme to desilt(निराधार ) rivers and waterbodies(जलनिकायों) ahead of the rains. Its predicament(कठिनपरिस्थिति/दशा) reflects the larger reality of

drought in India, aggravated(गंभीरताबढ़ाना/उत्तेजितकरना) by heat waves and significant rain deficits in different
regions. This year’s fall in reservoir storage levels to below-average levels
has affected farmers who depend on the Sardar Sarovar dam, and 27 other
reservoirs including those in Madhya Pradesh. A reinvigorated(पुनर्निर्मित/फिरसेजानडाल) Congress in the opposition has turned the heat on the BJP
government in Gujarat, which is hard put to defend itself against the charge
that dam waters were depleted(समाप्तहोगया /कमज़ोरबनाना) merely to fill the Sabarmati river for a visit by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in December, when he undertook a seaplane journey on the
river. Its response has been to roll out a campaign(अभियान) to deepen waterbodies on the one hand, and arrange
religious events to propitiate the gods on the other. But it has had to prioritise(कोप्राथमिकता) drinking water needs over farming, and suspend irrigation(सिंचाई) supply from the dam on March 15. This year, Delhi has been
at loggerheads with Haryana over reduction of water released in the Yamuna,
highlighting growing stresses over a vital resource. Urgent water management
reforms must be undertaken to help citizens and avoid losses to the economy.

In a normal year, the
pre-monsoon phase from March 1 brings some respite and India gets about 130 mm
of precipitation(अत्यन्तशीघ्रतासे/तेज़ी) before the rainy season begins. This year began with a
sharp 50% deficit, but touched near-normal levels, though not in the
northwestern region. The monsoon itself is highly variable(अस्थायी/परिवर्तनशील). This underscores the need for comprehensive reforms at the
level of States, with the Centre helping to conserve hydrological resources. If
Gujarat improves rural water storage structures and creates many small wetlands
beyond the compulsions(मजबूरियों/दबाव) of politics, it can ensure long-term prosperity for
thousands of villages in Saurashtra, Kutch and the northern region where pumps
run dry with unfailing(स्थिर)regularity(नियमितता/एकसमानता). Farmers will get relief from the monsoon vagaries(अनियमितताएं /सनक) that affect the Narmada, whose waters are apportioned(विभाजित/बांटना) among four States. There is also the challenge of reducing
demand for farming, given that the Mihir Shah Committee estimated public
irrigation efficiency(कार्यक्षमता/योग्यता) to be a low 35%. Farmers need to be helped with the latest
technologies to cut water use. The State government is thinking of going in for desalination(विलुप्त/अलवणीकरण). Decentralised (विकेन्द्रीकृत)water storage too will help cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat
and Vadodara when water supply from large dams and other sources dwindles. If
climate change is going to influence(प्रभाव)
monsoon vigour and availability in coming years, the time to take action is
now.